MPC Autonomous College, Baripada
Takhatpur, Baripada, Mayurbhanj, Odisha,
Baripada
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Maharaja Purna Chandra Autonomous College is one of the premier institutes of higher education in Odisha. The College was set up in the post-independent India way back in July, 1948, during the rule of the popular ministry, with Sri Sarat Chandra Das as the Prime Minister and Maharaja Sri Pratap Chandra Bhanj Deo as the ruling chief of the State of Mayurbhanj. Christened after the Late Maharaja Purna Chandra Bhanj Deo who, in his life time, was a great patron of literature and culture, the fledgling college lived, moved and had its beginning on the premises of Maharaja Krushna Chandra High School for a pretty long time. Afterwards, it was felt that the continuance of the College in the M.K.C. High School complex was neither desirable nor convenient. With the number of students shooting up every year a great demand was felt for a permanent site. The College considered whether ‘to be or not to be’ a guest of the solitude offered to it by Chhancha village on the one hand and Takhatpur on the other. Having at last rejected both these uptown rural locations it stepped with a bang in the early sixties into the Maharaja’s palace which had earlier been purchased by the Government of Odisha in 1956. Unlike the sages of yore who chose to teach their pupils in the verdant ambience of nature, the College nurtured its students amidst the very din and bustle of Baripada town itself like Socrates, the eminent philosopher, educating the young in the crowded market place of Athens. But Nature will not let the College alone. The Budhabalanga, purling.melodiously, time and again goads and guides the students to shed their inertia and be for ever intellectually on the move like the flow of its waters. In 1948 the College secured affiliation to Utkal University in Intermediate Arts and Science with a sanctioned strength of 112 and 08 students respectively. The B.A. (Pass) class with a sanctioned strength of 48 students, was opened in the session 1949-50. The courses offered were English, Odia, Economics and Mathematics to which History was added in 1958-59. Honours courses in Economics, Political Science and English were introduced in 1961 , 1963 and 1965 respectively and Odia and Philosophy in 1967. Honours in Sanskrit was offered in 1978-79. The B.Sc. course with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics as Pass and Honours were started in 1960-61 to which Botany and Zoology were added in 1966. Honours courses in Physics and Chemistry were offered in 1967 and 1968 respectively and Botany and Zoology in 1972. So far as the Commerce faculty is concerned, affiliation at the then Pre-University level was made available in 1965.To this first year Degree in Commerce was added in 1966 and B.Com. (Pass) in 1967. Honours in Commerce was introduced in 1974-75. Provision of Post Graduate teaching in Commerce and History got started with effect from 1979-80 and 1983-84 respectively. Post-Graduate teaching in Economics, Philosophy and Chemistry started during the session 1990-91. Post Graduate teaching in Physics, Political Science and Oriya commenced from 1992-93. Subsequently Post-Graduate teaching was also introduced in Zoology, Botany and English. New subjects like Statistics, Geography, Geology, Sociology, Secretarial Practice and Photography were started between 1981 and 1983. Geography as an optional subject was introduced at +3 level in 1992-93. In the next session Sociology was introduced. Several vocational subjects were introduced in 1994-95. These are (a) Sericulture for +3 Sc. (b) Communicative English for +3 Arts and (c) Office Management and Secretarial Practice for+ 3 Commerce. This continual opening of course offerings has drawn numerous students into the fold of the College from all over and outside the State. When Utkal University was divided into the three universities, the North Orissa University was established in 1999 and M.P.C. College was affiliated to it. All the examinations were conducted by the North Orissa University for the session 1999-2000 and 2000-200 1. M.P.C. College was declared ‘Autonomous’ by the UGC, New Delhi. But because of some unavoidable reasons the college could not hold its independent examinations for the session 2000-200 I. Real academic autonomy started from 2001-2002 with an independent Entrance-examination based on selection procedure, independent courses of study and independent examination procedure for the +3 First Year students and 5th year P.G. Students.
M.P.C. Autonomous College was shifted from the old Maharaja’s Palace to its new College complex at Takhatpur in summer 2001. The College started functioning in the new complex from 08-06-2001. According to the directive of the Department of Higher Education, Government of Odisha, Bhubaneswar, the M.P.C. Morning College merged with the M.P.C Autonomous College. The +2 Streams in Arts, Science and Commerce of M .P.C. Autonomous College and M.P.C. Morning College along with the +2 Stream in Arts of Government Women’s College combinedly constituted the M.P.C. Junior College and is housed in the old building. M.P.C. Autonomous College is a seat of Under Graduate and Post-Graduate studies. At present there are six P.G. Departments namely Odia, English, History, Political Science, Philosophy and Commerce. Sanction was accorded by Govt. of Odisha to introduce self-financing courses in tour subjects namely Environmental Economics, Microbiology, Industrial Chemistry, Bio Chemistry from the academic year 2005-06.
